Science + Technology

9:12 am

Tue October 1, 2013

Scientists May Have Source For A.D. 1257 'Mystery Eruption'

The Samalas volcanic crater at Rinjani National Park on Lombok Island, Indonesia.

Rinjani National Park, Indonesia

Scientists think they've identified the source of a massive volcanic eruption that occurred in A.D. 1257 and spread telltale traces across the globe.

The culprit in the "mystery eruption" appears to be the Samalas volcano, part of the Mount Rinjani Volcanic Complex on Indonesia's Lombok Island, an international team of scientists publishing in PNAS journal says.

The team, led by geographer Franck Lavigne, says the previously unattributed eruption was "an estimated eight times as large as the famed Krakatau erpution of 1883 and twice as large as Tambora in 1815," according to National Geographic. Krakatau and Tambora are also located in Indonesia, which is a volcanic and seismic hot spot.

The team examined sulfur and dust traces found in polar ice that were similar to samples collected near Samalas and found a match.

An estimated 10 cubic miles of rock and ash may have been spewed from the volcano at the time of the eruption, causing a significant impact on the climate.